1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to the field of protective masks for animals and, in particular, to devices for shielding a horse's poll and eyes.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that horses' eyes are very sensitive to the effects of light and to molestation by insects, such as flies. In order to rid themselves of flies crawling over them, horses often shake their heads violently and strike surrounding objects in frustration, thus endangering their own safety and that of bystanders. Accordingly, over the years people have devised different items of protective wear to shield a horse's eyes from insects and from direct sunlight.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 481,152 to Steele (1892) discloses a device that comprises two perforated shades used to cover the eyes of a horse in order to protect them from foreign matter.
The eye protector also includes strips of flexible material hanging down from the device to cover the horse's nostrils and muzzle, thus providing further protection against insects. The eye protector is secured to the bridle normally worn by the horse.
U.S. Pat. No. 903,108 to Rogers (1908) describes a similar type of eye protector consisting of individual eye coverings connected to a system of straps that permit its direct attachment to the head of the horse. Thus, this device can be worn even when the horse does not have a bridle or halter on its head.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,516,202 (1924), Nelson discloses a fly shield for a horse consisting of a muzzle made with screen material. The device is designed to cover the mouth and the lower portion of the head of a horse primarily to prevent insects from contacting its nose, which is particularly sensitive to flies. No protection is provided for the eyes of the animal.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,334 to Blessing (1973) describes a bonnet that protects the upper portion of a horse's head, including the eyes, from exposure to insects and excessive sunlight. The bonnet is made with screen material that envelopes the entire head of the animal and is fastened by straps secured to the head independently of a bridle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,966 (1973), Hadley describes a face fly-screen consisting of a fringe secured to the poll of the horse and covering the entire front portion of the head. Thus, the eyes are protected by the screen effect of the individual strips constituting the fringe, which also prevent insects from resting on the animal's face.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,156 to Oettel (1987) discloses a protective mask for horses that consists of a one-piece screen for covering the eyes and the adjacent facial areas of the animal. Contact between the screen material and the eyes is prevented by straight darts sewn into the material that create two pockets protruding slightly forward from the poll of the animal. The edges of the mask are trimmed in a plush material to prevent insects from crawling under the mask and to provide a padding for protecting the animal's face from immediate contact with the relatively rigid material constituting the screen. The mask includes a single cutout area for the animal's ears and forelock.
The Oettel mask is intended to be worn at all times by a horse to provide continuous protection from insects and excessive light exposure. As such, the mask has shown several drawbacks that the present invention is addressing. The first one relates to the presence of a single opening over the poll of the horse. In order to accommodate both the ears and the forelock of the horse, this opening is approximately 24 inches in circumference, which greatly weakens the structural rigidity of the mask and its ability to retain the intended position over the head of a horse. As a result, the mask tends to shift around the face of the animal, which undermines its effectiveness against insects and may create discomfort. In addition, the large opening provides a relatively loose fit around the ears that enables insects to penetrate through the sealing material at the edge of the opening.
A second problem results from the single-seam construction of the darts, which results in a relatively soft structure that in some cases allows the screen material to droop and rest over the eyes of the horse, especially when the mask is not squarely balanced over the head of the animal as a result of the above-mentioned shifts. Finally, the mask does not provide any protection to the poll of the horse, which is a very sensitive part of the animal that needs protection both from exposure to climatic extremes and from the surrounding environment. In particular, the poll of a horse needs to be protected during transportation in horse trailers because the animals tend to rub their heads against the top of the trailer, often to the point of severely injuring themselves. Since these masks are intended for continuous use, the utilization of separate protective wear on top of the mask would be cumbersome and uncomfortable to the animal.
Therefore, there is still a need for an improved horse mask that incorporates poll-protection means and overcomes the problems that result from the above-described structural features of the Oettel mask.